Press Release - August 9, 2002
Office of the Commissioner of Probation

LYNN PROBATION OFFICERS TEAM UP WITH
LOCAL POLICE ON BIKE PATROL

Lynn District Court Probation Officers team up with local police in Lynn each week as part of a special bike patrol unit that gives them greater access to the probationers they monitor and the communities they serve.

Probation Officers Donald Castle and Martin Cooke are the key bicyclists in the unit. They generally team up with police officers as well as bike officers in the communities Marblehead, Nahant, Saugus and Swampscott. Castle and Cooke cover in excess of 50 miles on each of the two days they are on the bike patrol.

“I was really surprised by the number of people we bump into while we are on our bikes. We often catch them (probationers) off-guard. You can see the shock on their faces. The bike patrol is a great tool in crime prevention. We are able to navigate areas we wouldn’t be about to if we were in our cars,” said Cooke.

Lynn District Court Chief Probation Officer Donald January is pleased with this probation/police partnership. “The bike patrol is a win-win situation for probationer, police and the community. The probation officers know the offenders. Police provide the needed re-enforcement. Sheriff Cousins supplied us with police radios. Our partnership helps us better protect residents,” January said.

Probation Officers at Lawrence District and Essex Juvenile courts were among the first in the country to establish a bike patrol during the summer of 1999. The bikes were provided by the Lynn Police Department and made possible by a $5,000 federal Community Policing grant.

“We are promoting visibility. Offenders never know when we are going to ride up on them,” Cooke said.